WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and David Agnew, Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will join Fort Collins Mayor Karen Weitkunat to tour projects to restore the Cache la Poudre River and strengthen its resilience to climate change impacts such as higher temperatures and extreme weather events. When floods struck the Front Range of Colorado in September 2013, the City’s proactive planning and river habitat conservation efforts helped mitigate the impacts on Fort Collins. Following the tour, the officials will hold a press conference at the Natural Resources Research Center in Fort Collins, which is one of seven Climate Hubs launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week to offer the practical, science-based tools and strategies farmers and ranchers need to adapt and succeed in the face of a changing climate.

Supporting state and local efforts to protect communities from the effects of climate change – such as more frequent and severe extreme weather – is an important part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. In recognition of Mayor Weitkunat’s leadership in helping Fort Collins prepare for climate impacts, last November she was named as a part of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to advise the Administration on how the Federal Government can respond to the needs of communities nationwide that are dealing with extreme weather and other climate impacts. The Task Force held its first meeting in December at the White House.